We are sorry, the requested page does not exist
Boston makes Miami feel heat
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Boston poured in 16 three-pointers in a dominant 110-97 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday that kept the Celtics alive in the National Basketball Association championship chase. For the second straight game, the Celtics fended off elimination, cutting the deficit in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals to 3-2 with the wire-to-wire triumph. Miami will get another chance to close it out when they host game six on Saturday. The Celtics will be trying to take one more step toward becoming the first NBA team to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. “The only thing that can stop us is us,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said in an on-court interview. Before a rapturous, raucous crowd at TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics looked every inch the favorites they were before the series started — before the upstart eighth-seeded Heat grabbed the first two games in Boston, then embarrassed the second seeds in game three. Four Celtics starters scored more than 20 points, with Derrick White leading the way with 24 on a night when he made six of eight attempts from three-point range. “Got some good looks and was able to knock them down, and just kind of rolled with it,” said White, who said the Heat’s defensive focus on Brown and fellow star wing Jayson Tatum gave him more room to operate. Marcus Smart added 23 and had five steals while Brown and Tatum scored 21 apiece. More importantly, the energetic Celtics harried the Heat into 16 turnovers that led to 27 Boston points. They had 17 second-chance points compared to Miami’s seven. “Tonight we were the tougher playing team,” Brown said. “We set the tone from start to finish.” Boston was locked in on both ends of the floor from the opening tip-off, roaring to a 23-7 lead in a matter of minutes. After Tatum was whistled for a technical foul with 8:43 in the first quarter, the Celtics responded with three consecutive three-pointers. Tatum scored 12 points in the first quarter and Brown took over with 12 in the second. Meanwhile, Heat talisman Jimmy Butler struggled to get going, scoring eight points in the first half and finishing with 14 — his lowest-scoring game of the playoffs. He sat out most of the fourth quarter. Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 18 points off the bench. Bam Adebayo scored 16 points but coughed up six turnovers. Kyle Lowry starting at point guard after Gabe Vincent was ruled out with a sprained ankle, scored five points with four turnovers. “We’ve just got to play better,” Butler said. “Start the game off better, on the starters, make it more difficult for them. “They are in a rhythm since the beginning of the game,” Butler added. “But we are always going to stay positive, knowing that we can and we will win this series. We’ll just have to close it out at home.” Butler said the Heat allowed their shooting struggles to affect their defensive intensity. “But that’s easily correctable,” he said. “You just have to come out and play harder from the jump.” The Heat, who won the NBA title in 2006, 2012 and 2013, still only need one more win to reach a seventh NBA Finals. Boston, whose 17 NBA titles are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in history, last won it all in 2008 and came up short in last season’s championship series against the Golden State Warriors. The winners of the series will play the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in four games to reach the NBA Finals for the first time. White said the Celtics expect a formidable challenge in Miami on Saturday. “The crowd is going to be in it. It’s not going to be easy,” he said. “It’s going to take 48 minutes of battling, scratching, clawing, and we’ve got to find a way to win.” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was unconcerned that two big defeats had demoralized his team. “Who cares about mood?” Spoelstra said. “We have a gnarly group. It’s a competitive series. You always expect things to be challenging in the conference finals.” The post Boston makes Miami feel heat appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Celtics pummel Heat to keep NBA title hopes alive
Boston poured in 16 three-pointers in a dominant 110-97 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday that kept the Celtics alive in the NBA championship chase. For the second straight game, the Celtics fended off elimination, cutting the deficit in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals to 3-2 with the wire-to-wire triumph. Miami will get another chance to close it out when they host game six on Saturday. The Celtics will be trying to take one more step toward becoming the first NBA team to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. "The only thing that can stop us is us," Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said in an on-court interview. Before a rapturous, raucous crowd at TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics looked every inch the favorites they were before the series started -- before the upstart eighth-seeded Heat grabbed the first two games in Boston, then embarrassed the second seeds in game three. Four Celtics starters scored more than 20 points, with Derrick White leading the way with 24 on a night when he made six of eight attempts from three-point range. "Got some good looks and was able to knock them down, and just kind of rolled with it," said White, who said the Heat's defensive focus on Brown and fellow star wing Jayson Tatum gave him more room to operate. Marcus Smart added 23 and had five steals while Brown and Tatum scored 21 apiece. More importantly, the energetic Celtics harried the Heat into 16 turnovers that led to 27 Boston points. They had 17 second-chance points compared to Miami's seven. "Tonight we were the tougher playing team," Brown said. "We set the tone from start to finish." Boston was locked in on both ends of the floor from the opening tip-off, roaring to a 23-7 lead in a matter of minutes. After Tatum was whistled for a technical foul with 8:43 in the first quarter, the Celtics responded with three consecutive three-pointers. Tatum scored 12 points in the first quarter and Brown took over with 12 in the second. Meanwhile, Heat talisman Jimmy Butler struggled to get going, scoring eight points in the first half and finishing with 14 -- his lowest-scoring game of the playoffs. He sat out most of the fourth quarter. Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 18 points off the bench. Bam Adebayo scored 16 points but coughed up six turnovers. Kyle Lowry starting at point guard after Gabe Vincent was ruled out with a sprained ankle, scored five points with four turnovers. "We've just got to play better," Butler said. "Start the game off better, on the starters, make it more difficult for them. "They are in a rhythm since the beginning of the game," Butler added. "But we are always going to stay positive, knowing that we can and we will win this series. We'll just have to close it out at home." Butler said the Heat allowed their shooting struggles to affect their defensive intensity. "But that's easily correctable," he said. "You just have to come out and play harder from the jump." The Heat, who won the NBA title in 2006, 2012 and 2013, still only need one more win to reach a seventh NBA Finals. Boston, whose 17 NBA titles are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in history, last won it all in 2008 and came up short in last season's championship series against the Golden State Warriors. The winners of the series will play the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in four games to reach the NBA Finals for the first time. White said the Celtics expect a formidable challenge in Miami on Saturday. "The crowd is going to be in it. It's not going to be easy," he said. "It's going to take 48 minutes of battling, scratching, clawing, and we've got to find a way to win." Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was unconcerned that two big defeats had demoralized his team. "Who cares about mood?" Spoelstra said. "We have a gnarly group. It's a competitive series. You always expect things to be challenging in the conference finals." The post Celtics pummel Heat to keep NBA title hopes alive appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Wild win carries 76ers to 3-0 lead over Nets
The Philadelphia 76ers beat Brooklyn 102-97 on Thursday in a rugged clash that featured two ejections and a controversial kick from Joel Embiid and moved the Sixers one win away from a sweep of their NBA first-round playoff series. The 76ers, down by five with 2:15 remaining at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, surged home to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series, the Nets well aware that no NBA team has come back from 3-0 down to win a series. Embiid, Philadelphia's MVP candidate, scored just 14 points but pulled down 10 rebounds and produced a crucial block with eight seconds remaining and Philadelphia up by two. Plenty of pundits will argue he should have been out of the game by then, but Embiid wasn't ejected when he aimed a kick from the floor at Nic Claxton's groin as the Nets player stepped over him in the first quarter. Sixers star James Harden was tossed late in the third quarter after piling his shoulder into Royce O'Neale's body on a drive to the basket. And Brooklyn's Claxton was ejected early in the fourth when he picked up a second technical foul for taunting Embiid. "We stayed together," Embiid said of the key to the hard-fought victory. "We kept playing through everything that was going on." Tyrese Maxey keyed the late surge, scoring 10 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. His step-back three-pointer with 44.7 seconds left gave the Sixers a 99-96 lead. Spencer Dinwiddie cut the deficit by one with a free throw and looked headed for a game-tying layup when Embiid soared up to reject the shot and the Sixers held on. Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 26 points and Dinwiddie added 20, but Brooklyn are in danger of being swept for the second straight season. Embiid, who went to the locker room briefly in the first quarter and could be seen limping later in the game said that despite their commanding lead the Sixers need to be better in Saturday's game four. "Tonight was probably our worst night," he said. "I wasn't good at all, so I'm going to be better." In other games Thursday, the defending champion Golden State Warriors tried to claw out of a 2-0 hole when they hosted the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors were without star Draymond Green, who was suspended one game after stamping on Sacramento's Domantas Sabonis in game two. The Los Angeles Clippers were without injured Kawhi Leonard as they hosted the Phoenix Suns in game three of their Western Conference series. The teams split the first two games in Phoenix. The post Wild win carries 76ers to 3-0 lead over Nets appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Coach tells Bulldogs to stay focused
National University head coach Dante Alinsurin is keeping his players’ emotions in check with the unbeaten three-peat-seeking squad just three wins from completing an elimination round sweep of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 men’s volleyball tournament. The Bulldogs bunched up 11 wins in a row in as many games to punch a ticket to their eighth straight Final Four appearance armed with a twice-to-beat advantage in the division’s first staging following a three-year pandemic-forced hiatus. NU, undefeated in 29 consecutive games since 2019, can advance to the best-of-three Finals outright and force a step-ladder semifinals if it hurdles its last three assignments against University of the East, Final Four-bound University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University. But despite his team’s hot streak, Alinsunurin does not want his players to be distracted with the prospect of an elims sweep. He wants the Bulldogs to just zone in on the task in front of them and not look too far ahead. “I always remind them to just do what they need to do inside the court. The twice-to-beat, the sweep, honestly, we only talked about it once,” Alinsurin said. “We make it a point that we put our focus on what we talked about on training,” he added. The four-time champion mentor also lauds his team for fully understanding what he wants to impart and for keeping the fire burning despite piling up victories. “I never put pressure on them that we need to reach this or we have to do that. Maybe that’s the reason why the team remains focused everyday in training and in games,” the former men’s national team mentor that steered the country to a silver medal finish in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held in Manila. NU beat Far Eastern University, 28-26, 25-21, 26-28, 25-23, last Sunday behind Buds Buddun, Nico Almendras, Kennry Malinis and Obed Mukaba. The Bulldogs will face the Red Warriors on Saturday before taking on the Tigers on 26 April and the Blue Eagles on 29 April to wrap up their elims campaign. “We have to keep on working and try to improve every training,” Alinsunurin. “See what we need to address like our unforced errors and see to it that we’ll be able to limit our miscues in our next games.” The post Coach tells Bulldogs to stay focused appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Amazing Lady Blazers repeat sweep feat
College of St. Benilde swept its way to the NCAA women’s volleyball title for the second straight season to secure its place in the league’s hierarchy as one of the greatest teams of all time......»»
Lady Blazers, Altas on cusp of crown
Like a predator on a prowl, St. Benilde devoured a helpless prey in Lyceum of the Philippines U, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19, yesterday to move on the cusp of a historic second straight title sweep in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament......»»
Lady Blazers near historic 2nd straight NCAA volleyball sweep
CSB devoured a helpless prey in LPU, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19, on Tuesday to move on the cusp of engraving on the NCAA volleyball’s stone tablets a historic second straight title sweep......»»
Spikers’ Turf: Cignal cruises to 4th sweep; VNS escapes Air Force in 4 tight sets
Spikers' Turf title contender Cignal cruises to its fourth straight sweep of the 2023 Open Conference, while VNS skirts past the Philippine Navy by the slimmest of margins.....»»
Katipunan rivals UP, Ateneo tip off UAAP championship battle
For the second straight and third overall in the last four seasons, the Katipunan rivals collide once more with the Fighting Maroons shooting for another piece of history after ending a 36-year title drought last summer – at the expense of no less than the then Blue Eagles’ dynasty......»»
Aquastars crush Warriors for third straight win in VisMin Super Cup hoops
CEBU CITY Philippines — The Talisay City Aquastars have just installed themselves the overwhelming title favorites after routing the Dumaguete City Warriors, 92-72, on Wednesday night, and scoring their third straight lopsided win in the ongoing 2021 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup at the Alcantara Civic Center in Alcantara town, southwestern Cebu. The win pushed […] The post Aquastars crush Warriors for third straight win in VisMin Super Cup hoops appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Blue Eagles credit Bundit, Lady Eagles as inspirations in success
Multi-titled coach Tai Bundit had a hand in the success of the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles when they won three straight UAAP titles from Season 77 to 79. Not to take any credit away from Oliver Almadro for his hard work to turn the Blue Eagles into a powerhouse, but the former national team mentor did pick a thing or two from Bundit’s system which he added to his program. One of which is Bundit’s notorious trip to Ateneo’s track oval. Known for his Spartan-like training program, Bundit strengthened the stamina and conditioning of the Lady Eagles through sprints around the oval which players have to accomplish within a given time limit. “Dahil kay Coach Tai napa-oval na rin kami. Sinisisi namin si Coach Tai rin dun sa oval,” said former Blue Eagle Rex Intal laughing while recalling his dreaded visits to the track oval on his appearance on Volleyball DNA. “Actually, inis na inis na kami kay Coach Tai dahil sa oval.” “Kapag may mahirap kayong [Lady Eagles] ginagawa [gagawin din namin],” he added. But aside from Bundit’s training program the biggest influence the Thai mentor imparted to the Blue Eagles was the heartstrong mantra that fueled the Lady Eagles into winning their breakthrough UAAP title in 2014. “Siguro we really looked up to them [Lady Eagles],” said the 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist. In Season 76, both the Blue Eagles and the Lady Eagles advanced to the Finals. The Lady Eagles were on their third straight Finals appearance while the Blue Eagles earned a championship spot for the first time in years. Interestingly, the Ateneo men’s team seemed to have a better chance of winning the crown against National University compared to the Lady Eagles, who faced a series of do-or-die matches before taking on the thrice-to-beat De La Salle University in the Finals. “Grabe ‘yun akala namin mas malaki pa ‘yung chance namin na mag-champion kasi grabe ang run nila talaga eh. Akala talaga namin mas malaki ‘yung chance namin or either both magtsa-champion,” said Intal, who was on his sophomore year when Ateneo challenged the then reigning champion NU in the first of five consecutive Finals showdowns. However, it was the Lady Eagles who came up with the championship in tow. “Sobrang nakaka-proud ang women’s team nu'ng season na yun,” said Intal. “Sa amin naman experience-wise nagkulang kami pagdating ng Finals. Parang may daga kami sa dibdib nun.” The Bulldogs were just too much for the rookie Marck Espejo-bannered Blue Eagles. After the defeat, Almadro immediately talked to his players. “Grinupo kaagad kami ni Coach Oliver sa gitna ng court sa side namin. Hinuddle n’ya kami. Nagce-celebrate ang lahat pero naka-huddle kami. Umiiyak ang team, si Coach O umiiyak,” Intal recalled. “Sabi niya, ‘Guys tingnan nyo ang mga tao na nandito, tingnan nyo ang mga sumuporta sa inyo. Ini-expect nyo ba yan nu’ng simula ng season? Ini-expect nyo ba na aabot tayo rito? Walang nag-expect ng ganyan pero nandito sila sionuportahan tayo. Naniniwala sila na kaya natin.’” “’Next year babawi tayo. Next year tayo naman ang magsi-celebrate,’” the mentor added. Almadro’s words were true. The following year, the Blue Eagles began what would be a three-peat dynasty. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»
GREATEST PERFORMANCES: Arellano U’s sweep of thrice-to-beat SSC-R
Arellano University has been the dominating force in the NCAA women’s volleyball for the past three seasons. If not for the cancellation of Season 95 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Lady Chiefs would’ve made a strong case for a four-peat. But while the Lady Chiefs displayed great character to extend their reign, it was Arellano U’s impressive showing in Season 92 Finals series that built the solid foundation of its grand slam. Three years ago, the Lady Chiefs redeemed themselves from surrendering the crown the previous season by dethroning College of St. Benilde in the stepladder semifinals. Arellano U thus earned a return ticket to the Finals. However, the Lady Chiefs had to face an uphill climb in the championship series as they took on an unbeaten Grethcel Soltones-led San Sebastian College armed with a thrice-to-beat advantage. The Lady Stags handed Arellano U its only loss in the elimination round, before coming into the Finals with nine straight wins. Led by the graduating Soltones backed by a veteran crew, SSC-R looked poised to avenge its humiliating defeat the season before when they squandered the same series advantage. But the Lady Chiefs proved that they were the hungrier team. Using the death of head coach Obet Javier’s wife, Amy Marie, after a long bout with lung cancer as added motivation, Arellano U pulled off a shocker in the series opener. The Lady Chiefs swept the Recto-based squad, 25-18, 25-20, 25-16, with Rialen Sante, Jovie Prado, Andrea Marzan and Mary Anne Esguerra leading the way. Drawing first blood, Arellano U quickly shifted momentum to its favor. They played spoiler to Soltones’ third straight Most Valuable Player award in Game 2 when the Lady Chiefs survived a thrilling five-set match, 18-25, 25-16, 25-11, 26-28, 15-13, to inch closer to its second title since joining the league in 2009. Arellano kept its composure in a very tight fifth set breaking a 13-all deadlock with Regine Arocha’s off speed. SSC-R was the first top blink when Dangie Encarnacion committed an attack error that brought back the nightmare of the Lady Stags’ Season 91 Finals defeat. Then in Game 3, the Lady Chiefs celebrated Valentine’s Day by breaking the hearts of the Lady Stags, 25-15, 22-25, 25-23, 25-16. “Napakalaki sa amin ito kasi 'yung mga bata, pinaghirapan talaga namin ang taon na ito," Javier said then. "Noong first round, natalo kami sa Baste kaya nag-set kami ng goal na hindi na dapat mangyari ito. Nangyari naman." That feat set the tone for Arellano U’s next two conquests. From there, the Lady Chiefs established its current domination of the country’s oldest collegiate league. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»
Cruz-Behag, Baron recall De Jesus words of wisdom
De La Salle University head coach Ramil de Jesus is the type of coach who won’t mince his words when addressing his team. If he wants to get his message across he’ll tell it straightforward. No sugarcoating. While some may take it against the mentor, his Lady Spikers understand that it is just how De Jesus wants his players to learn. It is his way of motivating them to be better. Cha Cruz-Behag and Majoy Baron shared on The Collective, how De Jesus’ ‘choice’ words fueled their desire to step up and bring honor to DLSU back in their playing days in the UAAP. Cruz-Behag recalled how she was challenged by De Jesus. “Back in Season 68 that was my rookie year. When we finally won that Game 3, nag-champion na kami, we were celebrating. Ang saya-saya. Nakaka-proud,” said Cruz-Behag, who still plays for De Jesus with F2 Logistics in the Philippine Superliga. But the mentor put Cruz-Behag in her place. “After some time we went back to training. Coach came in and he talked to us rookies and sinabi niya sa amin na kaming mga bata wala kaming karapatan to celebrate and wala kaming karapatan na umastang champion,” Cruz-Behag said. “Kasi langaw lang kami sa likod ng kalabaw.” It stuck in her head. “Para sa akin ang lalim ng dating kasi nga naman ‘di naman talaga kami ‘yung nagtrabaho to earn that championship. It was really our seniors who worked hard for it,” she said. “I took it as a challenge. Gusto ko dumating naman ang panahon na we’re gonna win out own championship. I want to feel that we earned it and we truly deserved it. So di na niya kami tatawaging langaw and magiging promoted na kami to kalabaw,” Cruz-Behag added. Unfortunately, Cruz-Behag had to wait another three years before earning her stripes as DLSU was suspended in Season 69 (2006-07) while she skipped Season 70 (2007-08). Cruz-Behag won her first title in her return in Season 71, won a silver the following year before leading DLSU to back-to-back titles in Seasons 73 and 74 where she was named Finals MVP both times. Meanwhile, Baron was the Lady Spikers’ team captain when De Jesus called their performance as ‘pambarangay’ following a humiliating loss to Adamson in Season 80. “As a captain ina-accept ko na ang pangit talaga ng laro namin that time. Sobrang unacceptable talaga ng loss na yun against Adamson,” said Baron. De Jesus’ statement became a trending topic and drew mixed reactions from volleyball fans. “Medyo na-bash din si coach nun,” recalled Baron. “But for us players we get Coach Ramil eh.” The Lady Spikers understood what De Jesus wanted them to understand. They responded by winning 11 straight wins including a sweep in the Finals to complete the Taft-based squad’s third three-peat and 11th overall crown. As for Baron, she won the Season MVP honors capping off her collegiate career on a high note. De Jesus is quick to call-out the mistakes of his wards, that’s his style. His words may sometimes be harsh. But his statements always serve their purpose......»»
10 things that make Alyssa Valdez phenomenal
Alyssa Valdez has arguably made the biggest impact in Philippine volleyball. Her skills, passion and charisma endeared her to volleyball supporters, purists or casual fans, from all walks of life. She brings energy and leadership to every team that she’s joined. Valdez draws a huge crowd every time she plays. Valdez is the poster girl of the sport that for years struggled to draw mainstream attention in a nation which considers basketball as its biggest sporting event. The 27-year old pride of San Juan, Batangas is the face of local volleyball. So on her birthday today, let’s look at some of the things that makes the Phenom really phenomenal. Two-time UAAP women’s champion Valdez is Ateneo de Manila University’s undisputed Queen Eagle. Talks about the Lady Eagles’ breakthrough championship will not be complete without the mention of her name. After two years of bridesmaid finishes, Ateneo bagged its first-ever UAAP title in 2014 after beating the thrice-to-beat De La Salle University in four games in the Finals despite leading a young band of Lady Eagles playing under the new system of Thai coach Tai Bundit. The following year, Ateneo, with Valdez at the helm, retained its crown in a tournament-sweeping fashion. Three-time UAAP Most Valuable Player Her skills during her collegiate career stood out among her peers. Valdez’s effort was rewarded with three Most Valuable Player awards in Season 76, Season 77 and in her last playing year in Season 78 in 2016. She also pocketed the Season 76 Finals MVP award. Young phenom Valdez didn’t build her reputation overnight. It was her hard work and effort that brought her where she is right now. She was still a diamond in the rough when she was recruited by University of Sto. Tomas in a regional meet. But the Espana-based squad polished Valdez into a real gem of a player. Valdez, backed by a powerful lineup that featured the likes of Kim Fajardo and Jaja Santiago, won three straight UAAP girls’ titles and in the process collected three season MVPs. She was also named UAAP high school athlete of the year twice. National team mainstay With her talents, dedication and good work ethics, Valdez has been a mainstay with the national team. Her first tour of duty was in 2008 when she represented the country in the Asian Youth Championship held in Pasig City. She joined the PHI Team in the 2014 FIVB Southeast Asian Zone qualifier in Vietnam. In 2015, she donned the tricolors for the Asian U-23 Championship and on the same year saw action in the country’s return in the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore after a decade of absence. Since then Valdez participated in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur and 2019 Manila SEA Games. She also took part in the 2017 Asian Senior Women’s Championship and the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. 2015 SEA Games flagbearer Valdez also carries the honor as being the first-ever volleyball player to become the PHI flag-bearer in the SEA Games. She marched holding the national color in front of Team Philippines during the traditional parade of nations inside the OCBC Arena in the 2015 Singapore SEA Games. Accomplished commercial league star She has been collecting commercial league titles since high school starting from the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball League. Valdez was also successful in the different conferences of the defunct V-League, racking up championships and individual accolades. In the Premier Volleyball League, she powered Creamline to three titles including a sweep of the Season 2 Reinforced and Open Conferences in 2018. She won three conference MVP awards. Import abroad International leagues took notice of Valdez’s talents and charm so it’s not surprising that she landed offers to play abroad. Valdez played as an import in Thailand for 3BB Nakornnont from 2016 to 2017. After her stint in Thailand, Valdez flew to Taiwan to play for Attack Line. Host, Actress, TV personality Valdez is a regular fixture in different sports shows in ABS-CBN S+A. She’s a host, courtside reporter and a game analyst. Valdez also had a few showbiz stints. She appeared in some Kapamilya teleserye including a cameo in ‘And I Love You So’ in 2016 alongside Julia Barretto and Miles Ocampo and in the movie ‘My Letters to Happy’ with by TJ Trinidad and Glaiza De Castro. Aside from her TV and movie career, Valdez is also one of the most recognizable athlete product endorsers. Social media influencer She is also one of the most popular Filipino athlete on social media. As of posting, Valdez has 1.9 million Twitter followers, 1.3 million followers on Instagram and her YouTube channel has more than 76,000 subscribers. Featured in the Olympics Channel website While the likes of Sisi Rondina, Jaja Santiago and Bryan Bagunas were featured in the FIVB website, Valdez’s impact on Philippine Volleyball was highlighted in a feature article in no less than the Olympic Channel website. The article touched about her humble beginnings to her meteoric rise and why she is regarded as the nation’s brightest star in the sport. These are just some of the things take make Valdez a true pride of our nation in the sport Happy birthday, Alyssa!.....»»
BATCH CLASH: Season 76 Bulldogs vs Season 81 Bulldogs
Seven years ago, National University made history by claiming its breakthrough UAAP men’s volleyball title. The following season, the Bulldogs blasted their way to back-to-back titles. It took NU four years to return on top after snapping Ateneo de Manila’s three-season reign before duplicating a repeat championship the following year. Two different breeds of Bulldogs will take center stage in this week’s edition of Batch Clash as we pit the back-to-back NU champion teams of Season 76 and Season 81. Just like in the past showdowns, we’ll see which team will shine brighter based on offense, net defense, floor defense, level of competition and playoff performances. Then, we'll let you decide which batch is better. OFFENSE Height, speed and power. That’s the name of the game for the Bulldogs. Both teams took advantage of these strengths to extend their respective reigns. Batch 76 had Reuben Inaudito, Edwin Tolentino, Peter Torres and Berlin Paglinawan while Batch 81 featured the high-flying Bryan Bagunas, Nico Almendras and James Natividad. With the departure of Ateneo’s Marck Espejo, Bagunas dominated the scoring category in Season 81. The 6-foot-5 open spiker averaged 20.3 points per game in his swan song. Bagunas was also hitting with precision, nailing 53.49% success rate in attacks while landing an average of 0.47 ace per frame. Bagunas had a steady back-up with Almendras averaging 10.2 points per game while Natividad normed with nine markers per outing. Natividad had a 42.92% spike success rate and averaged 0.24 ace per set while Almendras had a 38.93% attacking rate. Compared to Batch 81, the Bulldogs of Season 76 had more balanced scoring. Inaudito averaged 12.1 points per game with a 40.18% success rate in kills and an average of 0.23 ace per frame. Paglinawan averaged 11.5 points per game, Torres had 10.3 markers per outing while Tolentino normed 9.8 points. Tolentino was hitting 36.14% with a 0.31 average ace per set. In the setters’ head-to-head match-up, Vince Mangulabnan was dishing out an average of 6.75 excellent sets per frame while Owa Retamar had 7.40 assists per set. Incidentally, both NU playmakers finished second in the category to Ateneo setters Ish Polvorosa and Lawrence Magadia, in their respective seasons. As a team, Batch 76 had a 41.96% success rate in spikes and landed an average of 1.17 aces per set. Batch 81 recorded a 45.82% success rate in attacks with 1.27 aces per frame. In setting, Batch 76 tallied 6.98 average excellent sets per frame compared to Batch 81’s 7.84. NET DEFENSE In the battle of defensive walls, Batch 76 had three players in the top 10. Torres averaged 0.69 kill blocks per set, Reyson Fuentes had 0.62 while Inaudito posted 0.54. Batch 76 normed 3.10 kills blocks per frame. Taking care of business at the net for Batch 81 were Francis Saura (0.62), Kim Malabunga (0.49) and Almendras (0.47). Batch 81 averaged 2.80 kill blocks per set. FLOOR DEFENSE Floor defense wasn’t really the strong suit of NU ever since. Both batches did struggle when their net defense didn't work the way they wanted it to. Batch 76 was dead last in digs as a team with just 3.87 digs per set and its reception wasn’t impressive either with just a 21.29% efficiency. Libero Mark Dizon of Batch 76 averaged 1.27 digs per set and a 29.74% efficiency in reception. Batch 81 averaged 11.24 digs per set with a decent 55.61% efficiency rate in reception. However, unlike Batch 76, the Season 81 Bulldogs didn’t rely too much in their libero for digs. Ricky Marcos had 3.51 digs per set and was backed by Natividad’s 2.42. Marcos had a 62.20% reception efficiency. LEVEL OF COMPETITION Batch 76 saw the rise of what would become one of the most explosive and well-rounded players in the UAAP in years. Ateneo’s then rookie Espejo made an immediate impact in his first year together with Blue Eagles Rex Intal and Ysay Marasigan. University of Sto. Tomas had that season’s top scorer Mark Alfafara, Romnick Rico and Anthony Arbast. Bannering Adamson University were Michael Sudaria and Bryan Saraza while Red Christensen and Raymark Woo led De La Salle University. Far Eastern University had Ian Dela Calzada, Greg Dolor and Alexis Faytaren. University of the Philippines was spearheaded by Evan Raymundo and Jeffrey Lansangan; while University of the East had Angelone Soria and Ace Mandani. Batch 81 also battled against a strong field with FEU’s Jude Garcia and JP Bugaoan; Ateneo’s Tony Koyfman and Ron Medalla; Paolo Pablico and George Labang of Adamson; Chris Dumago and Billie Anima of DLSU; UST’s Joshua Umandal and Wewe Mendina; Mark Millete and Jerry San Pedro of UP and the pair of Cliffor Inoferio and Lloyd Josafat of UE. PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE Batch 76 finished the elimination round with a 12-2 win-loss record for the top seed. The Season 76 Bulldogs swept Adamson, which had to defeat DLSU in the playoff for no. 4, in the Final Four to face a young Ateneo side. In the Finals, the seasoned NU squad bullied its way to series sweep of the Blue Eagles as the Bulldogs won their second title. Batch 81 started off on the wrong foot, dropping their first game against the Tamaraws. The Bulldogs bounced back from a bad start to win their next 13 games to take the top seed in the Final Four. They ran over Adamson in straight sets in the semis before crushing the Tams in two games in the Finals rematch of the two proud teams six years the making. VERDICT Who do you think is the better Bulldogs squad? --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»
Blu Boys rule Pangaea Cup
The Philippines came through with a sweet sweep in a successful title defense in the men’s super division of the Pangaea Cup International Slo Pitch tournament recently at the Villages in Clark Field, Pampanga......»»
Poyos powers Golden Tigresses past Blue Eagles
Super rookie Angeline Poyos spearheaded UST’s sweep of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25-19, 25-16, 25-19, to aid the Golden Tigresses to their fifth straight win in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
FEU-Diliman rules UAAP boys’ football
Far Eastern U-Diliman blanked finals debutant Santo Tomas, 3-0, and kicked its way to a 12th straight title in the UAAP Season 86 boys’ football championship late Thursday night at the UP Football Stadium......»»
FEU-Diliman shuts out UST for 12th straight UAAP juniors football crown
Far Eastern University-Diliman blanked finals debutant Santo Tomas with a 3-0 shutout and kicked its way to a 12th straight title in the UAAP Season 86 boys’ football championship late Thursday night at the UP Football Stadium......»»
FEU reinforces UAAP boys’ football dynasty, topples UST for 12th straight crown
FEU-Diliman keeps a tight chokehold on UAAP boys' football supremacy, rolling over final match debutant UST for its 12th straight championship.....»»